Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Baked Tilapia with Lime and Cilantro

When I was growing up, my family hardly ever had fish. When we did, it was usually fried or fish sticks from the store! So when I married, I didn't know how to fix fish unless it was fried. And I found fish rather intimidating, for some reason, so it's just been the last few years that I've added a few easy fish dishes to my recipe box. One such dish is Baked Tilapia with Lime and Cilantro. It's so easy and quick cooking that you can have a whole meal on the table in less than 30 minutes! The Tilapia only takes 10-15 minutes to bake, so if you pair it with rice and maybe a oven roasted veggie, like my Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar, or Oven Roasted Broccoli, dinner will be ready in no time! In fact the Tilapia and the asparagus or broccoli can baked in the oven at the same time, in separate pans. This recipe was for about 1 pound of Tilapia, which contained 5 small fillets. Preheat the oven for 425 degrees and get started!

Baked Tilapia with Lime and Cilantro

4 Tbs. fresh squeezed lime juice

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2-3 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. melted butter, optional

2-3 Tbs. chopped cilantro, or to taste

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, mix the lime juice, the olive oil and the garlic together and let set for a few minutes, if you have the time. That will allow the different flavors in the sauce to "come together"! Place fish fillets in a 9x13 non reactive baking pan and pour the lime juice mixture over the fillets. Turn fish to distribute the juice evenly and make sure that some of the delicious garlic lands on the fish! Top with the chopped cilantro and pour melted butter over all. I just like the taste of butter and olive oil together, but this step is totally optional. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10- 15 minutes, until fish flakes easily. I actually let the fish set in lime mixture for about 10 minutes before bakingas I had another interruption, but the fish was fine. I did not want it to marinate because the fillets are so delicate and don't need to be tenderized. But it came out really delicious with the tangy lime and garlic flavor with the cilantro. This is a recipe that I normally use with grilled chicken breasts and I will marinate them for several hours and it's delicious too!

This is one of the few fish readily available in this area, I do so miss a good selection of fresh fish, but one can't have everything. This recipe looks delightful, I can see how it would work with chicken too.

Hi Lori, thanks for visiting my blog! As for your question,I know that the lime wouldn't be able to penetrate the skin of the fish. If you want to try it, I'd put the fish in a resealable bag and pour in the marinade, making sure it got into the cavity of the fish. If you try it, let me know how it turns out.